


You Were Never Born, Yet Here You Stay

by Chyme



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: #Aiballweek2020, Birthday, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-19 05:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22605613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chyme/pseuds/Chyme
Summary: Today is a VERY important day. So why doesn’t Ai remember?{Aiball Week 2020 - Day 00: Free day)
Relationships: Ai | Ignis/Fujiki Yuusaku
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	You Were Never Born, Yet Here You Stay

Most seventeen year olds, in Fujiki Yusaku's position, would have been nervous. Or excited. Or at least spent a few minutes asking advice from their friends. Or perhaps even scoured the web for decent ideas.

But no. Not him.

He was however a little surprised, that when he walked back through the door of his apartment that he was neither greeted by a bunch of party streamers floating through the air, or the sight of a giant six-tier cake that Ai would expect him to eat. No, instead Ai was sitting calmly on that soft, sinkable and very violet body cushion he had dragged home with him one day and proceeded to smother with his weight whenever he took up the rather mundane pastime of flicking through childish magazines he'd brought. Or stole. Yusaku wasn't too fussed over which.

But today it was enough to give Yusaku pause and make him cast his mind back over his memories. Burt no...today _was_ the correct day. He was sure of it.

'Welcome home!' Ai told him with that soft and rather mischievous smile he often wore.

Yusaku didn't answer, already digging through his school bag. 'Here,' he said brusquely, thrusting a few tickets at Ai. He's been careful – he'd actually gone to the trouble of ordering them from one of an internet cafe, at a time he knew for certain Ai would be out watching a public Go Onizuka match. And specified that he wanted them delivered to Kusanagi's home address. He'd had to deal with the older men giving him a strangely wide grin and a few rather too nosy questions as a result, but it was worth the small price to ensure Ai didn't go sticking his nose where he shouldn't. Getting the tickets delivered to his phone or email address in a QR format would have given the game away since Ai was not above digging through such things when he was suspicious. Or well. Just bored.

'Eh?' Ai gave him a curious look. 'A surprise gift? For me?' A delighted grin split his face in two as he pointed to himself with far more of a dramatic flair than was really needed. 'My, my, what could have prompted this generous and very un-Yusaku-chan-like gesture?'

Yusaku stared at him. Hard. He couldn't be serious. 'Just take them,' he said, uncurling his fingers and then letting the tickets float out of his grasp.

Ai frowned but seized the rippling bit of paper with a slight sneer. 'Huh,' he said after a moment. 'Tickets to that really grand big wheel they opened up the other day; the tallest in the city! You know I've read that it takes fifty-five minutes to make a full circuit; these must have cost a pretty penny; especially since one of them is for a SOLtiS.' He tapped the ticket in question, which was a pale green colour in comparison Yusaku's blue human one then shot his partner a calculating glance. 'Which makes it rather more expensive for your usual budget for fun things.'

This...wasn't exactly the reaction Yusaku had been going for. 'I thought you liked big wheels.' Maybe he would have been better off dragging them to a proper amusement park instead. And suffered through all the tacky prizes Ai would have insisted they try and win.

Ai tilted his head to the side, the way he did when he thought that Yusaku just didn't _get_ something. 'I do!' He exclaimed. 'I'm happy you thought of me!' And the excited glimmer in his eyes, told Yusaku that was true, and he felt himself relax slightly in response. 'But I don't understand why you did it out of the blue...you went to the trouble of getting paper tickets which means you didn't want me to find out about it.'

Yusaku blinked. Could Ai really have... _no way_. But then again, Ai had not woken him up in an overzealously fashion this morning the way he had expected him to, and he had not been overly fussy (well, no more than usual) and insisted Yusaku spoil him, and he definitely hadn't sulked when Yusaku simply treated him as he always did.

'Do you really not remember?' Yusaku asked, a hint of worry creeping into his tone; worry that Ai picked up on, that had him straightening, the body cushion shifting alongside his new posture with a slightly humorous rattle.

'Eh?' Ai scratched his shin, his eyes widening. 'Did I mess up somehow? Is there some event I haven't scheduled into my own personal calendar?'

Yusaku watched the data flitter behind Ai's eyes, little squares within the iris chasing each other as some sort of internal check was ruthlessly run.

'Nope!' Ai concluded, pronouncing the word with a slight pop of sound. 'Ai-chan's in the clear!'

But he still looked flustered, enough for Yusaku to take pity on him and take his hand – a gesture Ai instantly repaid by squeezing his fingers lightly and looking far too giddy as he did so.

'It's your birthday,' Yusaku told him gently. 'Don't you remember? You practically screeched that fact at me in the middle of one of your old tantrums.'

Ai looked gobsmacked. 'Yusaku...that was eleven months ago!'

'Yes. So what?'

Ai looked torn. But before he could say anything, there was a singular beep. From Ai's pocket. And Looking far too grateful for the distraction, Ai rapidly fished the phone out of his pocket.

'Huh,' he said, barely glancing at the screen. 'It looks like you're not the only one to celebrate my birthday.' He turned the screen to show one of those garish e-cards, red roses spilling over a midnight-black background. It had the usual birthday greeting, but Yusaku's eyes couldn't help but hover over the words specifically asking Ai to be the mystery person's 'birthday date.'

Ai snorted. 'Sorry, but guys who aren't brave enough to reveal their faces, aren't really my type.' He rather ruthlessly hit the delete button. Then hesitated, looking torn again. 'Ahhhh...they were some nice flowers though. Maybe I should rescue it from the deleted folder...'

'Later,' said Yusaku firmly. He didn't know what Ai was plotting, sending himself a card like that, but it wasn't going to spoil his plans. 'We've got time before the wheel opens...how about some online shopping? Vrains style?'

\--------------------------

Ai felt guilty. Very guilty. It was a little stupid but...he just hadn't been expecting Yusaku to fall for it! He could still remember it, quite clearly, the blank look on Yusaku's face eleven months back, blank except for the slight frown crossing it as Ai glared up at him, all twenty-seven-point-six Ignis centimetres of him, hands on hips as he chastised Yusaku for not even wishing Shima a good birthday.

'Two words. Two! That's all you had to say! And he would have left you alone that much faster!'

Beneath his feet, his own miniature podium, Linkuriboh, let out a slight coo in agreement, its round face sticking out of the Duel Disk in support. 'See? Even my minion here' – Ai bent down to pat the black head smugly – 'agrees!'

Excited by the praise, Linkuriboh reared up and sank, like a fish cresting a wave, with Ai almost slipping and falling at the motion, his hands waving frantically to keep balance.

'Gah! Give a guy some warning, would ya?'

'I would not even have had that much, if I had wished Shima a happy birthday,' Yusaku said, leaning his hand on his cheek and looking thoroughly unconcerned with Ai's predicament. 'And then he would have invited me out to eat a cake, or into the Vrains, and he deserves better company for that.'

Urgh. Yusaku had been a real drag back then. Still was, actually.

'Is that how you're going to treat me on my birthday?' Ai demanded, nose in the air – well, the rounded bump beneath his eyes was anyway. 'I came into existence at precisely seven-fifteen am on the sixth of May – oh sure, the building blocks for my existence had been laid down by you and Doctor Kogami, both, but it was at that time that I actually had my first actual thought, some level of awareness!' Ai had held up a finger. 'So I expect presents on this date! Lots of presents!'

Down by Yusaku's feet, Roboppi had swivelled their head in excitement.

And Ai had leant forward, the top half of his body narrowing into a whip-like stream of black all so he could reach Yusaku's ear. 'Or hell. Maybe Yusaku-chan can be my present? Huh? Huh?' He had elbowed Yusaku – on the ear, so he wasn't as easy to ignore and then given him a sly wink.

But Yusaku had simply began pulling his homework out of his bag as though Ai had never spoken. Which had led Ai to believe that he hadn't paid much heed to him at the time. Well. Joke was on him since Yusaku apparently had.

The thing was...there was no one clear moment of clarity when he had been 'born.' Not for him anyway. He had no idea what it was like for the other Ignis, and now, never would of course. But his awareness, first an instinctual grasp of the information being fed into him, as it kept recompiling into a precise algorithm over the months he had been created, had not led to a grand awakening. No, it was a gradual process, his thoughts as it were, being nothing more than reactions and reflexes to the subroutines and codes that had been added on over time to his mainframe, and also to the strategies played by cute, weeping baby Yusaku against a heartless computer and then...

Well truthfully, he had been born over the course of six month, a long heavy period of gradual awareness, drawn out alongside Yusaku's suffering. He could think by the end of it, sure, but...no.

Ai was created. Not born. There was no date, not for him. Just a lie to diffuse the situation, to perhaps encourage Yusaku to be a little more open the next time a classmate's birthday rolled round. And well...

Now, here he was. Walking through a quieter area of the Vrains, a fairly deep one, where rivers of data flashed past overhead, as deep and blue as the streams Aqua had once been so proud of creating.

Ai sighed. They were on the city outskirts, where some of the seedier factions played – a good spot to seek out and trade or buy the rarer cards that could be put on the ban-list at any moment. Playmaker of course, was showing no fear, striding out as though he owned the place – and Ai was loathe to be found trailing in his footsteps. With a bounce, he collected himself, almost running into the mighty Playmaker's arms as he asked, 'hey...this place...well, I'm sure it has its perks but it's not exactly what I would call a date spot...'

His partner glanced at him. 'Here,' he said, making a sharp turn into a corner stall. 'I want that card,' he said, pointing to an Armatos Gloria trap card which Ai, by his side was frozen at the sight of. For there, by its side were other cards, cards he had not been able to recompile and rescue from the devastation of the Cyber world. He might have been able to recreate them...but it had felt wrong.

There were even a few trial versions of Aqua's crystal hearts monsters she had designed when her relationship with all of them had been young, fleeting and unstable in their first month of existence. And Ai found his hand hovering over them, his fingers gently resting on the bright blue picture with intent akin to worship.

'Hey, hands off the merchandise!'

Ai scowled, and allowed Yusaku to haggle.

'We're stealing the rest later, right?' he murmured to Yusaku when they were out of earshot.

'Only if you replace those cards with fakes,' Yusaku murmured back. He sounded neither approving nor disapproving which was just fine by Ai.

There was a slight blur in front of them then, pixals shifting in a ripple that spread, and then right in front of them, the digital air tore in two, rapidly creating a white whirlpool of distortion. Yusaku tensed. So did Ai.

And then they both blinked as about twenty Petit Cyber Angel monsters flew out, their round pink bodies glistening like the icing on a cake. Even their wings took on a steel-blue glow, glitter plaguing the shadows that fell between each feather as they bobbed cutely in the air. But the whirlpool was not done yet. _Tap, tap, tap..._ and out tumbled some Rainbow Kuriboh, their sharp little legs producing a series of repetitive clicks that rolled out like a drumbeat. It took less than a second for Ai to realise that in fact it _was_ a drumbeat, the little march designed to beat out the basic tune of 'Happy Birthday.'

The Petit Cyber Angels opened their hinged mouths. And started...singing. Not in actual words, no. Now that _would_ have been scary. But trying with all their might, they managed to croon out the tune with their little baby voices, the Kuriboh below them chirping up with their own little voices at randomised intervals. It was a bit of mess to be sure. But still kind of cute. So Ai couldn't help but give them all an awkward clap after they had finished, their beady little eyes hooked onto his face with anticipation.

'I can't understand a word you're saying, but I got the message! I give you a solid eight out of ten!'

A wave of relief seemed to ripple through the tiny army at his response and two of the Rainbow Kuriboh affectionately bumped each other on the noggin.

Yusaku, of course was still just staring, arms brusquely folded.

Ai glared at him for being a killjoy but then was promptly distracted by one of the Petit Cyber Angels as it drifted down and produced a digitalised white envelope in its hands. The word 'Present' was scrawled across the back of it untidily as though a child had sat down and scribbled on it with a crayon.

Ai eagerly ripped it open and fished out a small card. His eyes bulged. And he...squeaked. He felt Yusaku's eyes on him as he trembled, the card shaking in his hands.

'It's an invite! An invite to be a moderator for the annual poll on those fan awards for the best couple, best ship-war, best soap-opera...' He was this close to jumping up and down in excitement. Instead, he clutched the ruined envelope to his chest. 'This means I have power! Actual power! I can boot out that horrible Wildflower ship that's been taking over all the decent forums lately and no one will be the wiser!' Ai let out a cackle and spun round to face an unimpressed Yusaku. Who was also looking slightly annoyed.

'Ah, but your Big Wheel ticket is a lot nicer, Playmaker-sama, so much more romantic...'

Yusaku sighed. 'Are you not worried about the fact a mysterious person just programmed a bunch of monsters to come out and find us?'

Ai blinked, waving as the monsters turned and began hurriedly bumping into each other, as though desperately wanting to escape Yusaku's glare. 'Um...no? It's not the first time monsters have been used for gimmicks like this. Although, this does seem a little more direct than usual. I would be worried if they were monsters from the Cyberse - it would mean someone other than me had got hold of their source code and was manipulating them.'

He winced as some of the Petit Cyber Angel's wings clashed into each other with a metallic-like clank, causing them to squabble and kick out at each other with their tiny feet; rather ineffective considering they had a reach of less than ten centimetres with the things. But still a little funny. Either way, they managed to float back through the whirlpool which gave one last ripple in the air, then disappeared behind them.

Playmaker sighed. And grabbed his hand. 'Let's go.'

Ai gave him a look. 'We don't have to leave. There's still time. We can-'

'Let's. Go.' Yusaku repeated. From between clenched teeth. And if Ai's hand had sunk a little deeper into Yusaku's now tightening touch, he stared determinedly away, as though not to draw attention to it.

Ai looked at him. And then his expression brightened, eyes twinkling momentarily as he let a smile crawl across his face, sweet, but a little too snide to be completely genuine.

'Yes, yes. Naturally. Better to be early, than late, right?'

He saw the small wrinkle in Playmaker's brow. Felt the hand around his own tighten even more. And then with an uncharitable grunt, Playmaker logged them both out.

\--------------------------

Yusaku couldn't help it. It was bothering him, the way Ai's eyes had lit up at that stupid card, more than they had for those tickets he had brought. And the fact that someone had gone to the trouble of arranging that little choir. He didn't think Ai was the perpetrator, not any more, not with that reaction, but still.

And yet, in the big wheel under a deceptively moving sky, the city blocks darkening under the evening sky and with Ai cooing at his side over the view, he felt mollified slightly. It was certainly easier to banish the more childish feelings he had been experiencing when Ai sighed and snuggled up against him.

'Ah, all those glowing windows...they look like jewels...so pretty...'

Yusaku relaxed a fraction. Let his arm un-tense under the feel of Ai's wandering hand. And allowed his neck to curl, his head to fall, against the curve of Ai's neck.

And then there was a screech of protesting motors. Yusaku tensed again, before he and Ai were flung into the side of the car as it jerked and swayed to a halt. There were a few screams, the sound of crumpling metal and then a subtle click as the door to the carriage swung open, just in time for the car to give another colossal heave. And unfortunately the angle of its turn was now sharp enough to thrust both Ai and Yusaku out towards the yawning darkness below.

Ai let out a panicked yell, his fingers fastening to the door frame as he braced himself against the pull of gravity, quickly spreading himself to take the main brunt of Yusaku's weight. Frightened, Yusaku simply clung to his waist and waited for the swinging to stop. Heart pounding, he focused on the feel of Ai, of his unrelenting body, firm in a way the rest of the carriage was not. Ai did not breathe, and there was no heartbeat inside the chest Yusaku's head was now lodged against, to echo his own frantic one. And strangely enough, Yusaku trusted him all the more for it.

After a while, the world stopped shaking, the carriage swinging to a halt. And Ai reached out and yanked the door closed, practically thrusting them back down into their seats. His eyes were pinpricks of yellow, practically glowing against the darkened carriage as he let out a hiss of frustration.

'Come. Out.' He spoke sharply, each word a knife of white-hot rage.

And almost guiltily, a round black head popped itself our across the large LCD attached at a slant above the door. It had been primarily put there to provide a panoramic view outside without the metal barriers of the carriage getting in the way. As well, as maybe show a bunch of advertisements at random intervals.

Ai hissed at it now, in a very human-like intake of breath as his hands clenched. And inside it, Linkuriboh shivered.

'This is a new system, it's not ready for the additional weight of a flighty Duel Monster, something it's never been programmed for! What were you thinking?'

Its tail drooping, Linkkuriboh hung its small head. And then raised one solitary foot. 'Date?' the underside asked him with a familiar childish-looking scrawl.

Ai's fists clenched. 'So it was you. I though I recognised some of the coding. I suppose I should be worried by your evolution...but no!' he answered sharply. ''You almost killed the one who already asked.'

Yusaku narrowed his eyes. Ai was trembling, the same way a human might do when they were in shock, his face twisted in anger, fingers tearing into his trousers.

'You could have...you could have...'

Ai's face broke, horror dawning in his expression, but Yusaku was already moving towards him.

'I'm here,' Yusaku told him, gathering that stupid head between his hands, pulling Ai close, so his partners hands were tugged free of his clothes, so they could become fastened fiercely into Yusaku's shirt instead. 'I'm alive. Nothing happened. And you're here too. Alive.'

Ai trembled some more, curls bouncing beneath Yusaku's nose. And then abruptly, he pulled away. 'And to think I didn't even get to con a birthday cake out of you! Sorry, Yusaku-chan but I think I should tell you before this gets any more out of hand – I don't actually have a birthday. I lied before, all those months ago.' He ginned sheepishly. 'Sorry!'

Yusaku wasn't fooled. Those golden eyes were still shimmering, still too shiny in a non-machine-like fashion. And Ai's expression was far too jovial as his perfectly formed smile slipped, falling as Yusaku's stare continued to bore into him.

'Don't be stupid,' Yusaku said. 'I know you don't have a proper birthday, not in the way a human would understand it. Not really. I saw the way you were re-built after our last duel; I even had an active hand in it. And now I have a better understanding of how you were first formed because of it. I know you lie, Ai. It's the one thing I've always been pretty clear on.'

He sighed, his hand brushing an erratic curl from Ai's cheek. And Ai's expression was open, almost devastated in response.

'That doesn't mean you can't have one though. And that lie you told, seems as good as any other. I was a little surprised that you never seemed to want to keep up the facade though...getting spoilt seems like something you would love.'

Finally Ai's expression softened. 'Born, created, whatever label you stick it with, it still caused you a lot of pain, Yusaku, you know it did. And then my re-emergence in your life later on was based upon a lie, which led to more pain for you...and ah, the whole thing is a horror fest, really, isn't it? And now you almost died...again...can't we just pick another date? And then I'll happily let you spoil me!'

Yusaku leant forward, his hands parting Ai's rumpled hair to pave a clear pathway for his oncoming kiss. It landed gently against his partner's forehead and Ai squirmed slightly at the wet touch of it, closing his eyes softly.

'No, Ai,' said Yusaku softly. 'Humans don't get to pick and choose their birthday; and neither this time, should you.'

Ai opened his eyes again. They glimmered softly. 'Ah. You're so smooth Yusaku-chan. Which really, is pretty strange, considering, well, everything about you.'

'Kuri?' they turned to watch their audience, a now sullen-looking Linkuriboh glaring balefully at them out of the screen.

Ai sighed.

\--------------------------

It was a little funny really. Ai tossed the ball up again, the holographic surface flashing as Linkuriboh face splattered itself across it, joy flashing across its features. It wasn't as good as having a body in the real world, but hey...

'How long are you going to keep that up?'

Ai grinned. Oh yes, it was downright hilarious really. Yusaku had been so prickly directly after that little Duel monster choir, so kuudere in his totally I'm-not-jealous-and-slightly-insecure-over-the-idea-that-you've-caught-someone-else's-eye snit and now he was pretending it didn't bother him, the fact that Ai was playing around with Linkuriboh the _person_ he had felt a little rumpled by.

'What? It's my birthday, remember? I can have more than one 'date' if I want to!'

And okay, maybe Yusaku wasn't jealous of Linkuriboh per say, not the way Roboppi had been. But Ai suspected that Yusaku's plans for today, and the rest of the dwindling evening had involved less of the little Duel Monster, well zero percent in fact, and a whole lot more of both himself and Ai, either tangled together, or nursed under blankets. Not necessarily for horny teenage boy reasons or smexytimes, as the internet would say, but just to hold him. Yusaku wasn't big on touch, at least not with other people, but with Ai some of that aversion was lost. A lot of it, in fact.

Ai gave Linkuriboh a final toss. 'Alright; nighty-night,' he told it, blowing it a soft kiss, before he forcibly made it log out back into the net. Then he spun and practically leapt into Yusaku's arms.

'You got any other presents for me?'

Yusaku shrugged a shoulder, despite the fact that his hand had rapidly stroked down into the small dip of Ai's back like an old greeting. Then he leant forward slightly, his lips perching on the small diamond that cluttered the base of Ai's neck.

'Maybe a few,' he muttered as he placed a kiss, then another and another, trailing his way into the side of Ai's neck. Mostly, Ai thought, to make him squirm and giggle slightly. Which he did, of course. _Adorably._

'Hey!' He managed with a slight gasp; ridiculous, really, considering he didn't need air. 'No fair! That's my move!'

Yusaku shrugged. 'That's like complaining when someone uses your favourite trap card against you,' he said cuttingly. 'Not a valid compliant at all.'

Ai bit his lip. 'You haven't even sung me Happy Birthday yet,' he points out, a full rounded pout playing across his lips.

Yusaku looked at him. 'Happy birthday,' he said, completely deadpan, with no rhyme, rhythm or song behind his words. And then he tilted Ai off his lap and onto the floor.

Oh, Ai thought, as Yusaku loomed over him. Then _oh_ , again. And again. Yusaku's kisses were finding their mark; he shouldn't have been ticklish, could have programmed that out of himself and yet...Yusaku's eyes were crinkling, there was a smile on his face, slipping in there between each kiss. And he could never forget, really, that Yusaku had always found his happiness amusing somehow.

Happy birthday to me, thought Ai, one of the few sentient beings on this world that had never actually been born. And closed his eyes again.


End file.
